Why dozens getting sick at Australia airport
[My Australasia]
A passenger terminal at Melbourne airport has been evacuated after dozens of people were taken ill following a suspected chemical leak.
At least 45 people were hospitalised suffering nausea, vomiting and respiratory problems, an ambulance service spokesman said.
Hundreds of others were evacuated from the Virgin Blue domestic terminal where the leak is thought to have occurred.
Domestic flights both in and out of Melbourne have been severely delayed.
Most of those who fell ill were security and airline staff, according to airport officials.
By mid-afternoon the majority had been released from hospital, but the terminal remains closed while emergency services look for the source of the leak.
Melbourne Airport spokeswoman Brooke Lord said: "Initially... there was immediate testing done of the air quality and the air conditioning systems, and nothing was identified through that that could have caused the problem.
"But as we got further reports of people feeling unwell, as a precaution, the aviation rescue and firefighting [crews] working on site decided to evacuate the terminal," she told the Australian news agency AAP.
A passenger terminal at Melbourne airport has been evacuated after dozens of people were taken ill following a suspected chemical leak.
At least 45 people were hospitalised suffering nausea, vomiting and respiratory problems, an ambulance service spokesman said.
Hundreds of others were evacuated from the Virgin Blue domestic terminal where the leak is thought to have occurred.
Domestic flights both in and out of Melbourne have been severely delayed.
Most of those who fell ill were security and airline staff, according to airport officials.
By mid-afternoon the majority had been released from hospital, but the terminal remains closed while emergency services look for the source of the leak.
Melbourne Airport spokeswoman Brooke Lord said: "Initially... there was immediate testing done of the air quality and the air conditioning systems, and nothing was identified through that that could have caused the problem.
"But as we got further reports of people feeling unwell, as a precaution, the aviation rescue and firefighting [crews] working on site decided to evacuate the terminal," she told the Australian news agency AAP.
posted by 9T9 at
5:21 pm
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